Yes, it is possible to heal cavities naturally!  My 7 year old daughter is our success story.  She had a cavity on her top adult molar.  The decay was easy to see and feel for stickiness with a dental explorer.  Our amazing holistic dentist, Dr. Melanie Russo, showed me how to check the cavity.  In her office the decay was so “sticky” that the explorer literately dangled from it.  Less than 2 months later there was ZERO stickiness and ZERO visible cavity.  It was 100% gone!  The tooth had remineralized!  Confirmed by two unrelated dentists! This was in part a miracle, but really there was no magic, just an incredible amount of determination, research and a great protocol, all of which I will share with you.  But first, the backstory.

I have had horrible teeth from a very young age and cavities run in the family.  I was pleasantly surprised that I went for years with no new cavities following my crunchy lifestyle and diet changes.  However, all of that changed after baby #4.  My teeth became sensitive. My root canal from college failed / got infected and the tooth was pulled.  Apparently dentists leaving behind files in root canals is a “thing” and some choose not to tell their patients…but this is a discussion for another day!  Lots of cavities followed.  It was not pretty.

When the baby was 18 months, I took my older 3 for a cleaning and was shocked to learn that two of them had cavities.  I was devastated to say the least.  My kids eat an impeccable diet that is a mix of Paleo and Weston Price.  Their diets are nearly 100% organic, bread is homemade sourdough, grains were soaked, nuts/seeds are limited, desserts are almost exclusively homemade and low in sugar, etc.  I read Cure Tooth Decay to remineralize my teeth and was applying most of what was in the book to my whole family.  We were doing everything right!  So what went wrong?

I have a few theories….

1. Cavity germs are apparently contagious!  If you have an active cavity in your mouth, you can pass along the cavity bacteria (mutans streptococci) by sharing food, utensils, cups, drinks, kissing, etc.  Gross!  Like most normal families we used to share everything…not any more!  My theory is that the active infection (s) / decay / cavities in my mouth and the cavity germs that cause them were passed on to my kids.
2. My children eat A LOT of berries and fruit.  And by A LOT I mean an abnormal amount.  While on some level this is healthy, berries can be very acidic which can erode tooth enamel.  And, sugar is sugar…whether from fruit or soda.  Not only did my children eat a lot of fruit and berries, they ate them all day long non-stop, especially in the summer months.
3. We took a break from supplements.  I was religious about giving my kids fish oil, probiotics and vitamin d3/k2 for many years and for a few reasons we took a break.
4. We took a break from dairy, broth and organ meats.  Cow dairy is a controversial topic in holistic circles, some believe raw grass fed dairy has incredible health benefits yet others argue dairy of any kind is mucus producing and causes inflammation.  We took a break from our homemade raw dairy yogurt, while still eating goat and sheep cheeses and cow butter.  At the same time we started making and eating less broth and our frozen stash of organ meats ran low (life got in the way).

I doubled down on my research on how to reverse the decay and cure cavities naturally.  I already knew A LOT of what we needed to do, but clearly we were not doing everything possible and I still had some learning to do.  So, I read and read and read some more.  I want to share a few fascinating things I learned in my research on healing cavities naturally.  Knowing why and how cavities happen is critical to understanding how to prevent decay and remineralize your teeth.  Don’t skip this part!

1. Apparently, every time we eat, some minerals leach from our teeth.  After a meal the saliva in our mouths does two things, it helps to restore the right PH and it carries the needed mineral to restore them to our teeth.  If we are constantly eating all day or constantly drinking (even water) we are diluting the saliva and altering the PH balance needed for tooth remineralization to take place.  It is also important to stay hydrated to keep saliva production up!
2. Cavity bacteria (mutans streptococci) is highly resistant to almost everything.  The two things I found that help kill the bacteria are xylitol and turmeric.  This DOES NOT mean you should be eating lots of xylitol….definitely not!  Xylitol is a questionable ingredient.  However, as a mouth rinse and toothpaste, it has promise!
3. Cavity germs are contagious!  I am repeating this for good measure.  If you have a cavity or to prevent decay, do not share food, drink and utensils indiscriminately!  And, make sure you have individual toothbrush holders in the bathroom, versus all of them standing in one container / cup!
4. Phytic acids are substances found in grains, legumes, nuts and seeds that do not allow you to absorb certain mineral and nutrients from those foods.  They are considered anti-nutrients.  In Cure Tooth Decay the author presents a strong case that soaking grains, as many advise to do, does not sufficiently break down the phytic acids.  I have not looked for science to confirm this, but, I believe that while soaking grains will not help, sprouting them will!  So, soak your grains and legumes overnight, then drain through a colander, keep them in the colander and rinse twice each day, morning and night, until a little root grows.  Only then cook with them.  This is harder to do for nuts and seeds as many are not truly raw, so soak these as a minimum.  And if you cannot, get plenty of vitamin c in food and supplement form to help offset the phytic acids.
5. Sourdough bread is a fermented food.  Beneficial bacteria break down the flour increasing its nutritional content prior to baking.  If you eat bread, you should only be eating real sourdough bread!
6. Research Paleo and Weston Price diets for optimal oral and overall health.
7. Raw grass fed dairy, broth and organ meats are important for both curing tooth decay and good health.
8. Kombucha, sauerkraut, other fermented foods, berries and some fruit are very acidic.  They have incredible health benefits, however, they are horrible for your teeth if eaten improperly.  What does this mean?  Do not snack on fermented foods or sip your kombucha over an hour or two.  Eat and drink them with a meal or over a few minutes.  Then rinse your mouth if possible or allow your saliva to restore the natural PH in your mouth.  Do not brush your teeth for at least 30 minutes after eating or drinking these and other acidic foods.
9. Read about oil pulling and add to your routine if you have time. The benefits are great…but we did not do this.  If you are experiencing tooth pain, add a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract to the coconut or other oil and it will help to address the active infection and pain.  I have stopped pain in my own teeth many times with this method.  But this is a short term fix!
10. Please do your own research on flouride.  There is enough information out there to suggest it is neither safe or effective.

Now for the protocol! 

There is no magic pill to reverse tooth decay and heal your cavities.  It takes months of effort and strong commitment.  But the end results are TOTALLY worth it!

Note, cavities in children, like anything else, will heal faster than cavities in adults.  I would allow at least 2-3 months to heal a child’s cavity and maybe 3-5 months for adults.  That being said, not all cavities can be healed naturally and not all children or adults can keep to a strict protocol.  Some cavities may be too far gone.  Some individuals may be dealing with issues like allergies, leaky gut, food intolerance / inflammation and other ailments that may impede the healing process.  If tooth pain continues or no improvement is noticeable, you should seek your dentist’s guidance.   Always seek appropriate medical attention!  Try your hardest to find a good dentist that will keep watch of your progress as you try to reverse the tooth decay naturally.

Protocol to Heal Cavities Naturally 

*Note, first 1-2 months go overboard.  You need to kick start the healing process.  Then you can tone things down for long-term maintenance. 

**Lists are provided in order of importance.  Do not skip the first few in each category.  

***If the full protocol is intimidating, do as much as possible, but definitely the following:  Cod Liver Oil, Butter Oil, Homemade Rinse & Homemade Toothpaste.  I do not know what ultimately helped us, but my MO is always to go for overkill in my natural experiments.  If you only do these 4 things I do not know if you will be successful, but it will be better than nothing!

Supplements (Amazon links provided to the specific products we used)

• Cod Liver Oil:  2-3x daily (1-2x daily for maintenance) (mix up brands, we like Sonnie’s, Nordic Naturals and Dropi)
• Butter Oil: 2x daily (2x daily for maintenance if bad teeth, 0-1 if no more issues arise)
• Desiccated Liver: 2x daily (for maintenance take when sick or not getting enough organ meat in diet)
• Vitamin C: 2x daily (for maintenance take when sick, after a sunburn, etc.) (Capsules, camu camu powder, and/or sodium ascorbate)
• Thorne D3/K3: Daily when healing (daily in winter months for maintenance)
• Probiotics: Daily when healing (daily in winter months for maintenance) (mix up brands, we like Bio-Kult and Klaire Labs.) Take both shelf stable and refrigerated varieties, they have different equally important bacteria strains.  And eat fermented foods.
• Iodine: Daily for a few weeks (every once in a while for maintenance)
• Magnesium: 1-2x daily (as needed for maintenance)
• 85%+ Dark Chocolate Daily

*You need to figure out appropriate dosages on your own or with the help of a medical professional.  For children, if an adult dose is given on a supplement, divide by 150 and multiply by the child’s weight to get the comparable recommendation for a child. 

Brushing/Oral Care

• Home Made Rinse:  Make a rinse with xylitol and turmeric.  I make proportions up as I go.   3-4 teaspoons of xylitol and less then 1 of turmeric in 2 cups of water.  It should be sweat to the taste.  Rinse throughout the day as often as possible.  After every meal would be idea.  Xylitol and Turmeric fight the cavity bacteria.  This one is critical! (Note:  I removed baking soda from this rinse as it becomes bitter after a day of so. Make a rinse with baking soda if nothing else available to help restore PH.  But make it fresh each time.)
• Semi-Homemade Toothpaste:  Add powdered xylitol and turmeric to remineralizing tooth powder (Dirty Mouth or inVitamin).  The first month I also added Calcium Carbonate.)
• Brush 3 Times a Day:  After eating breakfast, in the middle of the day and before going to sleep.  We like Wowe Bamboo toothbrushes.
• Floss as often as possible but as a minimum before going to sleep.  I love these Floss Sticks for ease of use.
• Salt Water Rinse:  Rinse with salt water as often as feasible.
• Water Pick:  Use in addition to floss before going to sleep.  We did not do this for the kids.
• DO NOT brush your teeth 30 minutes after eating fermented foods, drinking kombucha or eating other acidic foods.  Rinse instead.
• Keep tooth brushes in separate holders so that they do not cross contaminate.

Short-Term and Long-Term Diet Changes

• Raw Dairy (Preferably Homemade Yogurt/Kefir) & Grass Fed Butter (if you do not have access to grass fed raw dairy, consider Calcium Carbonate supplement).
• Eat Organ Meats (we order from White Oak Pastures).  If you cannot stomach this then Desiccated Liver Pills.
• Less Fruits & Cut Processed Carbs to Bare Minimum
• Sprout Grains, Legumes, Nuts & Seeds
• Eat Broth (Cook chicken bones 24 hours and beef / lamb 48).  If you need supplement form, Grate Lakes Gelatin products.
• Minimize Grains, Legumes, Nuts & Seeds, Maximize Vegetables, Grass Fed Meat and Raw Grass Fed Dairy
• Follow Mix of Paleo & Weston Price Diets (note, we eat sourdough bread and sprouted grains)

I am hopeful this protocol helps someone as it has helped my family!

Please share your success stories!!!